A once-reclusive elephant who spent years shunning contact has undergone a heart-melting transformation, capturing hearts around the world.
Jokia, a blind elephant who survived Thailand’s brutal logging trade, had long preferred her own company, traumatised by a past she couldn’t forget. Rescued by the Save Elephant Foundation, she spent years wandering alone, too wary to bond with her kind.
“She just didn’t trust anyone,” the sanctuary team said. “After everything she endured, she had every reason to keep her distance.”
But everything changed when Moloh Loh and her calf, Lek Lek, arrived at the sanctuary. The mother and baby were saved from a tourist riding operation where they’d been forced to carry visitors for hours each day. Their arrival brought new energy—and an unexpected breakthrough for Jokia.
The sanctuary team watched in awe as the gentle calf approached the older elephant, who cautiously lifted her trunk to explore the little newcomer. Soon, Lek Lek began following Jokia everywhere. It wasn’t long before the bond deepened into something that looked remarkably like family.
“Jokia has blossomed into a grandmother figure,” a caregiver said. “She’s finally found purpose and companionship after years of isolation.”
Sanctuary staff said the blind matriarch now spends her days trailing behind Moloh Loh and Lek Lek, offering reassurance with her trunk and staying close whenever the calf naps. The trio are now inseparable, moving together through the pastures and sharing food, Getaway reported.
“It’s as if Lek Lek showed her how to trust again. Jokia has transformed completely.”
Jokia’s story is especially moving given her harrowing past. Blinded by abuse in the logging industry, she was eventually rescued by the foundation, which has made it its mission to rehabilitate elephants exploited for labour and tourism.
Save Elephant Foundation founder Sangduen Chailert said the touching relationship has become an inspiration worldwide.
“This is what healing looks like,” she said. “Animals can teach us so much about resilience and the power of connection.”
The story Thailand’s blind elephant becomes loving sanctuary grandma (video) as seen on Thaiger News.
